
The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize
Gallery 9
26 January 2022 – 28 February 2022
The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize aims to benefit contemporary artists working in Africa or of the African diaspora by increasing their international exposure. A collaboration between The Sovereign Art Foundation and Norval Foundation, the Prize will celebrate the practice of some of the most significant contemporary artists working today.
Finalists in the running for this year’s Prize hail from 18 countries, of which South Africa has the strongest representation, followed by Zimbabwe, Angola, Morocco, and Nigeria. A total of 336 entries were received from artists from 37 countries.
A board of 53 independent arts professionals – comprising curators and academics who work closely with artists in their respective regions – nominated 158 artists for the Prize. The 30 finalists were then shortlisted by a panel of five world-class art specialists, namely: writer, curator, and museum director David Elliott; Exhibitions Director, Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, Janine Gaëlle Dieudji; Curator, Norval Foundation, Khanya Mashabela; exhibition curator and contemporary art consultant, Marie-Ann Yemsi ; and Chief Executive and Director, Design Museum, London, Tim Marlow.
The Grand Prize is a cash award of R500 000 South African Rand and the opportunity for a solo exhibition at Norval Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa.
To encourage engagement and increase exposure of the artists’ works, the general public are invited to cast a vote online or in person for their favourite artwork displayed in the exhibition. Together with online votes , the most popular artist will be awarded the Public Vote Prize (R25 000 South African Rand).
List of Finalists: Click here
Public voting: Click here (click on artwork to place your vote)
Sotheby’s Auction: Click here